Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 149 Li Fuyun City

Time flies like an arrow; half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The lush greenery of summer is replaced by the golden hues of autumn, and finally fades completely in the biting north wind, transforming into the pristine chill of winter. Yunyin Mountain is draped in silver, with snow covering the green pines and icicles hanging from the eaves, creating a uniquely tranquil and solemn celestial atmosphere.

The "Yunyin Xianzong International Tourism Resort" at the foot of the mountain has been fully completed. The white-walled and black-tiled buildings blend perfectly with the landscape, and the resort features an antique-style street market, hot spring hotel, and health villas. It is just waiting for an auspicious day to officially open to the public.

Inside the mountain gate, the "Hall of Heroes," funded and hastily built by Zhao Qiming and others, has already been completed, with its flying eaves and brackets, exuding solemnity. Inside the hall are statues of Guan Yu, Wenchang Dijun, and other deities.

Huiming comes here every morning to clean and offer incense, a routine he never misses. Over the past six months, his aura has become increasingly calm, and the confusion in his eyes has gradually disappeared, replaced by a sense of peace.

Zhao Mengmeng's cultivation has also gotten on track. Although Chen Anran is her master, most of her daily teaching is actually done by Su Wan.

Lin Xiaoman's cultivation also steadily improved, and her sense of belonging to the Yunyin Sect grew stronger day by day.

After her failed breakthrough, Xiao Ling'er became even more composed. With the guidance of Chen Anran and Su Wan, she successfully broke through to the Qi Refining stage one night three months ago. She was so happy that she walked with a spring in her step for several days.

Fatty Li treasured the basic breathing techniques taught by Chen Anran, practicing them without fail every morning. Although his progress was slow due to his age and aptitude, his overall energy and spirit were much better than they had been six months ago, and he was much more energetic in handling matters down the mountain.

Over the past six months, Chen Anran's life has been regular and fulfilling. Every day, besides cultivation, he spends his time visiting the Museum of Evolution. Occasionally, he'll offer guidance to Zhao Mengmeng or talk on the phone with his second and third senior sisters.

On the phone, Wei Qingyi would briefly share some interesting stories about school life. The two, senior and junior, would exchange their cultivation experiences and chat about trivial matters over the phone, their friendship remaining unchanged.

Chen Anran was even more concerned about her contact with Feng Xiaolu. In the first few calls, Feng Xiaolu's voice was still cheerful, chattering about the "grandparents," "uncles," and "aunts" in the Feng family who were very kind to her, but she also vaguely mentioned that some family rules were "a bit troublesome." As time went by, her voice gradually became less cheerful and more tired and hesitant.

"Junior brother, I'm fine, it's just... I have a lot to learn lately."

"Some of the elders in my family are quite serious."

"Also, the younger generation of our Feng family is going to exchange and learn from the young people of other families. I heard there will be a competition. Just like in fantasy novels, it should be very interesting."

"..."

On this day, in the depths of winter, the sky was overcast, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low, as if brewing a heavy snowfall.

The mountain wind was biting, blowing through the pavilions and towers of the Cloud Hidden Sect, carrying a chilling cold.

Chen Anran had just finished instructing Zhao Mengmeng and was browsing through an ancient book in his study, his phone lying quietly beside him.

Suddenly, my phone emitted a short, specially set notification tone.

Chen Anran paused, this notification sound was specially set up for Feng Xiaolu.

He picked up his phone and swiped the screen.

The message came from Feng Xiaolu; it was extremely brief, consisting of only three cold, shocking capital letters:

SOS

There were no extra words, no audio, just these three letters representing the highest level of distress signal.

Apart from that, there's a location: Yunshi in the southwest.

The cold wind outside the window seemed to intensify at that moment, howling and pounding against the windowpane.

Chen Anran's fingers tightened slightly around her phone, her eyes instantly turning sharp as knives. All her previous doubts and anxieties converged into a cold torrent.

Without any hesitation, he immediately called Feng Xiaolu back.

"Beep...beep...The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

The cold, impersonal system notification sounded repeatedly.

Chen Anran put down her phone, stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the gloomy and oppressive sky, as well as the withered branches swaying in the cold wind in the distance.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes filled with determination.

"Longhu Mountain... the Feng family..."

He muttered to himself, then turned around, picked up his coat from the side, and strode outside.

Chen Anran walked briskly and went straight to the back hall where Su Wan usually practiced her meditation.

Su Wan was playing the zither in the quiet room, the clear and ethereal sound contrasting sharply with the howling cold wind outside the hall. Seeing Chen Anran approach with a solemn expression, she gently pressed her fingertips on the strings, and the lingering sound dissipated.

"Senior Sister." Chen Anran bowed respectfully.

Su Wan raised her eyes, her clear gaze falling on his face. Without needing to say anything, she could already read something from his slightly furrowed brows.

"Shall we go down the mountain?"

"Yes," Chen Anran nodded firmly, "I have some personal matters to attend to, so I've come to say goodbye to my senior sister."

He didn't elaborate on what it was about, and Su Wan didn't press him for details.

"Be careful in all matters. If you encounter any difficulties, send a message back to your clan."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Chen Anran gave Su Wan a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

After leaving the rear hall, Chen Anran headed towards the area where Huiming lived, where the disciples' quarters were located.

Unable to find her in the room, we went to the terrace and found Huiming standing quietly, breathing in the cold wind.

Half a year later, Huiming's originally sallow complexion had returned to a rosy hue. Although his figure was still thin, he no longer appeared weak. His aura was deep and restrained, and his eyes were clear and firm. It was clear that his foundation had been restored to about 70-80%.

Sensing Chen Anran's arrival, Huiming immediately stopped his cultivation, turned around, and respectfully bowed: "True Master."

"How is the recovery going?" Chen Anran asked.

"Thanks to the great blessings of the Master, I am now out of danger," Huiming said with gratitude.

"Okay," Chen Anran nodded and stated his purpose directly, "Pack your things and wait for me at the foot of the mountain in a bit. Come with me on a trip; there might be some twists and turns on this journey."

There was no hesitation in Huiming's eyes, only complete trust and obedience. He put his hands together, bowed, and replied, "This humble monk will obey the Master's decree."

After settling Huiming in, Chen Anran walked quickly down the mountain alone, heading straight to a small courtyard with a wooden sign that read "Miaoxianju" on the edge of the resort area at the foot of the mountain.

Inside the cat cafe, Qi Lan was still wearing that baseball cap, sitting behind the counter wiping cups. Her amber eyes lifted up from under the brim of the cap, and when she saw Chen Anran, her eyebrows twitched slightly.

"A rare guest, Fellow Daoist Chen," Qi Lan said calmly. "What brings you to my humble shop today?"

Chen Anran walked to the counter, skipped the pleasantries, and got straight to the point: "Fellow Daoist Qi, the second matter."

Qi Lan paused in wiping the cup, put down the cup and cloth, and said, "What, do you want me to move the statue again?"